I've been training quite consistently for 6-7 years now, with weight lifting and competing in Muay Thai. I haven't had a proper mass building program until recently. I got inspired by Vegan Bodybuilding & Fitness-book and am currently working out five days per week and eating a whole bunch of vegan foods. I've been a vegetarian for more than 10 years. I don't buy any animal based foods and my nutritional program consists of 100% animal free foods, but I eat a bit of cheese every now and then...

As mentioned earlier, I've been working out for quite some time, but I realized that I've reached the point where I won't be making any progress without a proper bodybuilding program. My aim is not to become a proper bodybuilder tho, but just to gain a bit of muscle. My aim is to be quite thin but muscular. I started off really skinny weighing about 123 lbs years ago. Currently I'm around 163 lbs and working my way towards my goal of 176 lbs.

I've just recovered from a nasty flu, so I'm starting my diary a bit late!

Nice, Patrik. Looks like I'm on a similar fitness quest as you. I'm at 155 and I'd like to get to 170 but stay lean and get a little more cut. I also end up with cheese in my stomach every now and then too, maybe more now and also more then... I'm in NYC and pizza is on every corner. Its pretty much the cheapest and most convenient way to lunch around here. There are a few places that have vegan slices but they are not always the most convenient in location. How do you stay motivated to cook at home? This is what I struggle with the most, I end up eating poorly when I eat out.

Hey Dylan, well, first off I'm having a hard time affording all the food that I need to eat to build mass even as it is, let alone if I'd eat out. Secondly, there aren't really that many viable vegan options here when eating out. I try to keep it so that I eat dairy products perhaps just a few times per year nowadays...The most important things in my nutritional program besides mass gaining is eating healthy food...so eating out isn't really an option unless I just want a tasty snack or so

-Baked potato with veggies and sauce-carrots and kale-Soy chocolate dessert-16oz of water

Snack:

-A large bowl of soy yoghurt with muesli

Post workout:

-rice protein with creatine

Dinner:

-2 soy burgers with rye bread and spinach-large baguette with a hot chorizo vegan sausage, sauerkraut, mustard and spinach-16oz of water

protein: 181g/carbs: 381g/fat: 137g/calories:~4000

I'm having difficulties in eating enough carbs. My goal is to eat about 600g of carbs every day, but most of the time I fall short of my goals, even tho I've eaten enough of protein/fats/overall calories. I eat potatoes, rice, pasta or bread on every meal and plenty of fruits.....Do you guys have any suggestions on good carb sources?

Great stuff going on here! First and foremost, thanks so much for supporting my book and for embracing the Vegan Bodybuilding & Fitness lifestyle. I know you're looking to put on some muscle, so let's get right to it.

I know I spelled it out in my book in a few ways, but it really does come down to just a few basic things:

*Choosing the exercises that yield the best results

*Eating enough to support your training and your muscle-building goals

That's really about it! So what does all that mean?

To me, it means doing compound, multi-joint exercises as the foundation of your training. Anything that is a barbell or dumbbell exercise is a good bet. The more powerful the exercise the better.